Scanning and selecting an antenna beam provided in fixed wireless customer premises equipment

Abstract

An outdoor broadband unit receives a current time, a short term maintenance mode time period, and a long term maintenance mode time period from a remote network device. The outdoor broadband unit determines a mode associated with selection of an antenna beam, provided on an antenna of the outdoor broadband unit, based on at least one of the current time, the short term maintenance mode time period, and the long term maintenance mode time period. The outdoor broadband unit selects an antenna beam to use based on the determined mode.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method, comprising:
 receiving, by customer premises equipment, a current time from a remote network device; 
 receiving, by the customer premises equipment, a first time period from the remote network device, wherein the first time period is associated with a short term maintenance mode; 
 receiving, by the customer premises equipment, a second time period from the remote network device, wherein the second time period is associated with a long term maintenance mode and wherein the second time period is longer than the first time period; 
 determining, by the customer premises equipment, a mode associated with selection of an antenna beam of a plurality of antenna beams of a directional antenna of the customer premises equipment, based on at least one of the current time, the first time period, and the second time period; and 
 selecting, by the customer premises equipment, a first antenna beam of the plurality of antenna beams to use based on the determined mode. 
 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1 , wherein, when the determined mode is an installation mode, the method further comprises:
 scanning the plurality of antenna beams of the directional antenna after installation of the customer premises equipment; and 
 selecting the first antenna beam as an optimal antenna beam of the plurality of antenna beams to use based on the scanning. 
 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1 , wherein, when the determined mode comprises a power on/off mode, the method further comprises:
 selecting the first antenna beam, comprising a last used antenna beam of the plurality of antenna beams before the customer premises equipment was last powered off, to use. 
 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 1 , wherein, when the determined mode comprises the short term maintenance mode, the method further comprises:
 rescanning, based on a scanning interval corresponding to the short term maintenance mode, the plurality of antenna beams of the directional antenna after the first time period expires; and 
 selecting the first antenna beam as an optimal antenna beam of the plurality of antenna beams, and selecting an optimal serving cell, to use based on the rescanning. 
 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 1 , wherein, when the determined mode comprises the long term maintenance mode, the method further comprises:
 rescanning, based on a scanning interval corresponding to the long term maintenance mode, the plurality of antenna beams of the directional antenna after the second time period expires; and 
 selecting the first antenna beam as an optimal antenna beam of the plurality of antenna beams, and selecting an optimal serving cell, to use based on the rescanning. 
 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 1 , wherein the first time period is a predetermined number of hours and the second time period is a predetermined number of days. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 receiving, from the remote network device, other parameters associated with the determined mode. 
 
     
     
       8. A customer premises equipment, comprising:
 a directional antenna that includes a plurality of antenna beams; and 
 a processor to:
 receive a current time from a remote network device, 
 receive a first time period from the remote network device, wherein the first time period is associated with a short term maintenance mode, 
 receive a second time period from the remote network device, wherein the second time period is associated with a long term maintenance mode and wherein the second time period is longer than the first time period, 
 determine a mode associated with selection of an antenna beam of the plurality of antenna beams of the directional antenna based on at least one of the current time, the first time period, and the second time period,
 where the determined mode includes one of an installation mode, a power on/off mode, the short term maintenance mode, or a long term maintenance mode, and 
 
 select a first antenna beam of the plurality of antenna beams to use based on the determined mode. 
 
 
     
     
       9. The customer premises equipment of  claim 8 , wherein, when the determined mode is the installation mode, the processor is further to:
 scan the plurality of antenna beams of the directional antenna after installation of the customer premises equipment, and 
 select the first antenna beam as an optimal antenna beam of the plurality of antenna beams to use based on the scanning. 
 
     
     
       10. The customer premises equipment of  claim 8 , wherein, when the determined mode comprises the power on/off mode, the processor is further to:
 select the first antenna beam, comprising a last used antenna beam of the plurality of antenna beams before the outdoor broadband unit was last powered off, to use. 
 
     
     
       11. The customer premises equipment of  claim 8 , wherein, when the determined mode comprises the short term maintenance mode, the processor is further to:
 rescan the plurality of the antenna beams of the directional antenna after the first time period expires, and 
 select the first antenna beam an optimal antenna beam of the plurality of antenna beams to use based on the rescanning. 
 
     
     
       12. The customer premises equipment of  claim 8 , wherein, when the determined mode is the long term maintenance mode, the processor is further to:
 rescan the plurality of the antenna beams of the directional antenna after the second time period expires, and 
 select the first antenna beam an optimal antenna beam of the plurality of antenna beams to use based on the rescanning. 
 
     
     
       13. The customer premises equipment of  claim 8 , wherein the first time period is a predetermined number of hours and the time period is a predetermined number of days. 
     
     
       14. The customer premises equipment of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the first time period replaces a previously configured first time period associated with the short term maintenance mode, and 
 the second time period replaces a previously configured second time period associated with the long term maintenance mode. 
 
     
     
       15. A method, comprising:
 providing, by a computing device, a current time to a remote customer premises equipment; 
 providing, by the computing device, a first time period to the remote customer premises equipment, wherein the first time period is associated with a short term maintenance mode; 
 providing, by the computing device, a second time period to the remote customer premises equipment, wherein the remote customer premises equipment selects a first antenna beam, from a plurality of antenna beams of a directional antenna, as an optimal antenna beam based on an at least one of the current time, the first time period, and the second time period and wherein the second time period is longer than the first time period and is associated with a long term maintenance mode; and 
 instructing, by the computing device, the remote customer premises equipment to enable or disable an installation mode of the remote customer premises equipment. 
 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 15 , wherein the first time period comprises a predetermined number of hours. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 15 , wherein the second time period comprises a predetermined number of days. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 15 , wherein the remote customer premises equipment selects the first antenna beam based on enablement or disablement of the installation mode. 
     
     
       19. A device comprising:
 a memory to store a plurality of instructions; and 
 a processor to execute instructions in the memory to:
 provide a current time to a remote customer premises equipment, 
 provide a first time period to the remote customer premises equipment, wherein the first time period is associated with a short term maintenance mode, 
 provide a second time period to the remote customer premises equipment, where the remote customer premises equipment selects a first antenna beam, from a plurality of antenna beams of a directional antenna, as an optimal antenna beam based on at least one of the current time, the first time period, and the second time period and wherein the second time period is longer than the first time period and is associated with a long term maintenance mode, and 
 
 instruct the remote customer premises equipment to enable or disable an installation mode of the remote customer premises equipment. 
 
     
     
       20. The device of  claim 19 , wherein the processor is further to:
 instruct the remote customer premises equipment to enable or disable the short term maintenance mode of the remote customer premises equipment. 
 
     
     
       21. The device of  claim 19 , wherein the processor is further to:
 instruct the remote customer premises equipment to enable or disable the long term maintenance mode of the remote customer premises equipment.